The Tamarack Conference Center will open its doors at 4:30 p.m. today to welcome ticket holders for the Taste of Home Made Easy cooking show that begins at 6:30 p.m.

“We’re really glad to have Taste of Home back,” said conference sales director April Taylor. “The shows bring a lot of people into Tamarack to look around. It think it’s a really great show, and they always have a good attendance.”

Taste of Home culinary specialist Cheryl Cohen will offer a variety of tips on holiday cooking and entertaining.

“This is a good time of the year for this show, because people are getting into the holiday spirit,” Cohen said.

Chuck Jessup, advertising director for The Register-Herald, said local response to the show is a tribute to its quality and popularity.

“I’m always pleased with the turnout. It obviously shows that within our readership there are lots of folks who have an interest in cooking and gaining new ideas for meal planning and for holiday entertaining,” Jessup said.

A.D. Frye, perishables coordinator for Kroger, said his company is pleased to be one of the sponsors of the Taste of Home shows.

“With the economy the way it is, more people are going back to cooking at home, and that ties right into the grocery store business,” Frye said. “Kroger is happy to be a part of a show that offers people helpful hints and ideas for preparing good meals and being able to plan some nice holiday gatherings for families. That’s really important in today’s world.”

Ken Lewis, operations manager for Sears, said the company likes being part of activities that support the community and Tamarack.

“We really like being able to help out and support Tamarack and the community. The cooking shows draw a lot of people every year. It just seems like it gets bigger and better every time. All the vendors seem to enjoy getting involved, and it’s a nice event to be part of,” Lewis said.

Sears will also host a booth to call attention to its “Heroes at Home” program.

“One hundred percent of all the donations we receive go to veterans and military personnel who have been injured while serving,” Lewis said. “We use the money to buy ramps and elevators and other things these veterans may need to have a better quality of life.”

Belk manager Linda Chinault said the show provides an excellent opportunity for community participation.

“We love to do outside events where we can be in partnership with anything going on in the community,” Chinault said. “The Taste of Home show is a perfect place for us to showcase some of the newest home store merchandise we have available.”

Belk stocks specialty coffee, and its booth will be serving coffee two hours before each show.

Ticket holders who attend the shows today and Tuesday are reminded to bring donations of canned food and nonperishable food items for the Taste of Home Cooks Who Care program.

The food will be given to Fishes and Loaves Food Bank in Beckley to be distributed locally. Each ticket holder is asked to bring at least one food item or monetary donation. Fishes and Loaves will host a booth where these items will be accepted.

All items will be donated to Fishes and Loaves, a food distribution center affiliated with the Church of God Family Worship Center in Beckley. The center provides food and other items for people who are in need.

“The money and food we collect will be distributed within our community,” said director Shelby Warden. “With the economy the way it is now, we have seen a greater need in our community, and we are so grateful to Cooks Who Care for hosting this food drive for us.”

This year’s vendors are: A Touch of Elegance; As You Like It Catering; Mary Kay, Inc. (Ann Coleman); Arbonne (Sara Irons); Celebrating Home; Tastefully Simple (Leigh Ann Maddox); Pampered Chef (Amanda Slone); Tupperware (Lisa Martin) Belk; Sears; Tamarack Conference Center; Kroger; BeautiControl (Susan Belcher); Entertaining At Home (Cheryl Bates); Sam’s Club; Pampered Chef (Brenda Webb): Boresha and Taste of Home Cooks Who Care.

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A limited number of tickets are available for the Tuesday afternoon Taste of Home Cooking School Made Easy at the Tamarack Conference Center. The show begins at 3 p.m. Doors open at 1 p.m.

Tickets are $12 each and must be purchased and picked up today at The Register-Herald office at 801 N. Kanawha St. in Beckley. No tickets will be available at the door.

Sponsored by The Register-Herald, the cooking show is brought to Beckley by local sponsors Belk, Kroger in Beckley Crossing, the Tamarack Conference Center and Sears.

For more information about tickets, call 304-255-4409.

— E-mail: bdavis@register-herald.com